You get interested in learning how to play the ukulele, so you want to collect online videos alongside a book. Well, the best ukulele book is available in the market.
While learning the ukulele is too easy, you’ll want to start with some inspirational books.
Why would you consider picking up some ukulele books when there is so much great content online? There seem to be several reasons. Books are always available, even during power outages or cellphone service.
What details do you want to know? Below are the best ukulele book reviews for beginners right now.
Top 5 Best Ukulele Book for All Players
1. Ukulele Aerobics: For All Levels, from Beginner to Advanced, by Chad Johnson
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Ukulele Aerobics will probably become the most helpful book for someone who needs to learn to play the ukulele.
In the beginning, the book will help you stay dedicated as it follows the 40-week workout period as a musical practice.
One of the highlights is that each day of the week features unmatched practice, making a difference from scale practice alongside chord vocabulary, fingerstyle, and strumming lessons.
Daily practice thought is proven effective as it provides more skill over time and ensures mastery of playing the ukulele.
Buying this book is a journey that will make you a professional ukulele player as it provides more practice opportunities on different techniques and songs. Plus, it can build your music-writing abilities.
Benefits:
- It provides ample practice.
- This book has a structured approach, which helps you improve week by week.
- It includes several genres, such as pop, blues, rock, folk, and jazz.
Disadvantages:
- This book may not be helpful for beginners.
2. The Daily Ukulele Book: 365 Songs for Better Living by Jim Beloff
We love The Daily Ukulele Book: That’s because it has a nice mix of genres like Broadway tunes, children’s songs, pop songs, folk songs, and Christmas carols. Therefore, no matter what occasion you play the ukulele, you will hold a piece of music for it.
Another reason we love it is that it contains a year’s worth of songs, making it the perfect guidebook for growing your ukulele collection.
Additionally, each song in this book contains musical notation, chords, and lyrics for the melody.
Here’s what’s in this book: a section on how to use the book, a wide range of various songs and genres, some chord options, and shortcuts.
This book can be visually appealing because it contains vintage ukulele-themed artwork, which only makes you excited about learning.
The book’s comprehensiveness makes it the right choice for a beginner, passionate, and dedicated person learning to play some ukulele chords.
Having a daily ukulele on your bookshelf means more practice is guaranteed. It’s somewhat like keeping a book of seven different Top 50 songs.
However, if you feel something that will help you learn more techniques, you should look for something else.
Benefits:
- Each song offers a lead sheet, chords, lyrics, and chords to help you master it effortlessly.
- The introduction has an excellent section on essential details about the ukulele.
- Regular practice.
- It is a list of songs from various genres.
Disadvantages:
- The book doesn’t help you master different strumming patterns.
3. The Ukulele Handbook, by Gavin Pretor-Pinney and Tom Hodgkinson
The informativeness of this book is our main reason for choosing it. The Ukulele Handbook has three parts: a historical past of the ukulele, a primer for beginners, and a song section.
This handbook highlights the ukulele’s fascinating historical past, from its emergence in Hawaii over a century ago to the development of the modern-day ukulele.
The book then offers a 6-week guide to using the uke, its anatomy, the best ukulele to buy, tips on how to tune the strings, and how to strum differently.
Now that you’ve learned the terms, The Ukulele Handbook gives you a list of songs to practice, from medieval rhymes, blues, rock songs, and nursery rhymes.
If you are an avid reader, needing instruction on the ukulele and learning how to play it, this book will be your ultimate instructor.
The Ukulele Handbook provides essential details on the anatomy and development of the uke. It is suitable for those interested in understanding the instrument but not for those who want to master it.
Benefits:
- It is very informative.
- It highlights different styles.
Disadvantages:
- The ukulele’s historical past and its many distinguished personalities say it seems more theoretical than practical.
4. First 50 Songs You Should Play on Ukulele, by Hal Leonard Corporation: Best for Beginners
As the title suggests, this book contains an incredible collection of the first 50 songs you’ll ever play, varying from well-received classics to modern hits.
It overwhelmingly boasts other key features, making it the ultimate guide for a newbie. In addition, it contains lyrics, melodies, and chord diagrams.
At 136 pages, this book can be very compact, so you’ll soon be adding it to your reading list on Goodreads and enjoying these mesmerizing tunes with your family and friends.
Now, there is an astonishing collection of songs that you can master how to play using the first 50 song guidebook: Riptide by Vance Joy, That’s Amore by Dean Martin, Love Me Tender by Elvis, Imagination by John Lennon, I Walk the Line by Johnny Cash by Green Day and Boulevard of Broken Dreams.
Therefore, you will be able to notice that the book contains a variety of classic and modern songs that you have probably heard many times. In truth, this introduction will make your learning process simple.
If you are a beginner who wants to practice popular uke songs, the first step is to study this book. However, if you want to improve it, follow it with a more detailed guide.
Benefits:
- Easy to use.
- Perfect for those who want to play their familiar songs.
- There are different streams.
Disadvantages:
- It does not provide enough practice for someone who needs to improve their ukulele-playing ability.
5. The Magic Ukulele Book by Dr. Carolan and Auntie Kealoha
The Magic Ukulele is a perfect songbook for new players, well-versed with comprehensive musical study material for children or ukulele starters.
This guide adds 32 pages and includes a CD for students to listen to. It will inspire you to play the ukulele the first time you read it.
Indeed, The Magic Ukulele comes for kids, but adult students can also try it.
Many things are explained with colorful paintings to keep the readers engaged. The author’s incomparable writing style will inspire more. Also, it will stop your boredom and prevent you from giving up early.
All chord charts include fretboard and finger color coding. Also, the songs are easy to follow.
You will find an appendix at the end of the book that will provide a general background and historical past of the ukulele.
You’ll get an overview of the uke while learning how to cover great songs together.
Conclusion
All books provide different practice songs. But you decide your level and which book will be best for you to commence.
After all, the dilemma is that you don’t get enough time to master and practice at the nearest ukulele music education center. Is it a piece of bad news?
No, with this article, we are about to help you find the best ukulele book to learn how to play the ukulele, which has become the most common instrument nowadays.
You may wonder why a book is needed because watching some online tutorials may be a solution for you. Well, here are some reasons to consider a book:
- You have a book, which means you take learning seriously.
- Your internet connection is down. Don’t worry. You can use a book almost anywhere.
In this article, we’ve presented a list of the best ukulele books to make your choice effortless. So, take one according to your level.
